2021
Champagne for the Independently Minded
@TaittingerUK
taittinger_uk Champagne Taittinger www.taittinger.com
TA I T T I N G E R T I M E The House of Champagne Taittinger has recently seen a generational change in leadership as Vitalie and Clovis Taittinger begin their time at the helm, taking over from their father Pierre-Emmanuel Taittinger. Together, they begin another chapter in family history.
TI
M
E
FO
R
FA
M
IL
Y
With 288ha of vineyards, Taittinger is the third largest grower in Champagne. This close relationship with their grapes and vineyards makes them passionate about the environment. Being ‘green’ is part of their every day, working with Mother Nature to produce the best Chardonnay (for floral elegance), E Pinot Noir (for regal richness) R U and Meunier (for fruity roundness) – AT the three grapes of Champagne. N
M TI
E
FO
R
TIME FO
TI
ME
TI
FO
ME
R
Some 18 metres underground, the UNESCO 4th century Roman Cellars form Taittinger’s hear t. R A G E I N G Here, Champagnes mature until they are ready – for some cuvées this can take 10 years.
EL
TO SH AR E
The blending of grapes, vineyards and vintages AN C E to form the Taittinger Brut Réserve is an art. The elegant balance, dominated by Chardonnay, is vital to the House style that is so loved around the world.
EG
Champagne Officiel de BAFTA depuis 2003.
Official Champagne to BAFTA
Contents
WELCOME MESSAGES
5 7
Amanda Berry obe, Chief Executive of the Academy / Krishnendu Majumdar, Chair of the Academy Marc Allera, CEO of EE
THE NOMINATION S
11 The Nominations in Full 38 Juries & Chapters 40 Select Longlists BEST FILMS
43
The Father Florian Zeller’s impressive film adaptation of his own acclaimed play Le Père. Words by Leila Latif
SPECIAL AWARD
62
The Fellowship Writer-producer-director Ang Lee is presented with BAFTA’s highest honour, adding the Fellowship to his six previous BAFTA awards. Across three decades, Lee has been wowing his audiences, his films offering a heady mix of memorable characters, captivating stories and beautiful visuals. Words by Neil Smith
REGULARS
71 72 73 74
Officers of the Academy Partners of the Academy Film Awards Partners Acknowledgements & Credits
47 The Mauritanian Mohamedou Ould Slahi’s damning diary is turned into an intense legal thriller. Words by Guy Lodge 51
Nomadland Chloé Zhao’s latest follows those who have chosen to take the road less travelled. Words by Beth Webb
55
Promising Young Woman A bold, provocative revenge thriller from debut director Emerald Fennell. Words by Amon Warmann
59
The Trial of the Chicago 7 A star-packed ensemble cast tackle Aaron Sorkin’s shocking true story. Words by Jack King
3
Members of BAFTA Elevate 2019 cohort Rhys Yates and Nahel Tzegai, participating in a development round table with award-winning producer and director Cary Fukunaga. Image: BAFTA/Jordan Anderson 2020
F I N D T H E T A L E N T Y OU’R E L O O K IN G F O R
If you’re hiring for an upcoming film, games or TV project, look no further. BAFTA supports talent across film, games and television, from actors and writers to costume designers and composers, and each one of them deserves a place on your shortlist. Explore the full list of BAFTA-supported talent - including the latest Crew directories at bafta.org/supporting-talent
Welcome Welcome to this year’s EE British Academy Film Awards, celebrating the very best in film. It has been a year of great change and one that has had a significant impact on all of us, the film industry no exception. We applaud the industry’s united efforts to understand, adapt and overcome the barriers caused by the pandemic so production could continue in safety where possible. Together we will get through this.
AMANDA BERRY
OBE
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OF THE ACADEMY
While production and theatrical distribution may have been disrupted, film consumption has perhaps never been greater. With engagement so high, it’s vital we recognise how essential a broad spectrum of storytelling is to our culture, our understanding and our future. Last year, we took the criticism of a lack of diversity in our nominations very seriously. We launched an extensive and ongoing review of our voting and jury processes, undertaking hundreds of hours of interviews and discussion with more than 400 people with the aim of levelling the playing field for all work. We published our findings in September, with the report recommending 120-plus measures to effect real change in how we do things at BAFTA. The impact of that review is already clear in this year’s longlists – just one of the many additions to the voting process – and the nominations themselves. This is just the start, but we hope you can see our intent reflected in the breadth of this year’s nominees.
KRISHNENDU MAJUMDAR CHAIR OF THE ACADEMY
We would like to thank everyone who supported us, from our members who embraced the changes to the distributors for ensuring that many more films were available for viewing online. Our congratulations to all of this year’s nominees – we are particularly pleased to see so much British talent represented, including several names from BAFTA’s year-round learning programme. While we know there’s no simple solution to improving inclusion, both within our industries and for BAFTA’s own processes, we do promise to continue to learn and progress. There is a wealth of talented voices out there who have compelling stories to tell and we want to help them be heard.
FOLLOW US #EEBAF TAS /BAF TA @BAF TA BAF TA @BAF TAONLINE BAF TA.ORG
We have also taken the opportunity to do something a little different with the Awards this year. We now have two broadcast programmes rather than one, ensuring that we celebrate each and every nomination and share the incredible crafts that go into making great films. We look forward to enjoying these Awards with you in person once more, but until then, enjoy the EE British Academy Film Awards. Read the BAFTA Review here: bafta.org/about/mission/the-bafta-2020-review
5
PROUD SPONSORS OF THE BRITISH ACADEMY FILM AWARDS SINCE 1998
Welcome From O ur Sponsor It’s been an extraordinary year for all of us, and one in which the escape of immersing ourselves in film has been more important than ever. And, like so much in this past 12 months, it’s a virtual welcome for everyone to the EE British Academy Film Awards. Some of us might still choose to dress up for the occasion. In the 24th year of EE’s partnership with BAFTA, our ambition is to bring the latest technology to life through our network. Usually, we’d use the power of our connectivity to bring film fans closer to the BAFTA red carpet – but this year we’re bringing you an evening of entertainment through the magic of technology. MARK ALLERA CEO, EE
Ahead of the Awards, on Sunday at 6.45pm BST, we’re giving fans a front row seat to an incredible live AR music performance from Liam Payne, tested and developed using our award-winning 5G network, and available on mobile in the UK via The Round AR app. Both Liam’s movement tracking data and live audio will be instantly transformed into 3D animations to create the world’s first mobile performance. We want you to feel like you’re there watching Liam live. As he sings, as he moves – that’s what you would be seeing in real life. Our 5G customers will be a step ahead and won’t miss a beat thanks to our network’s enhanced latency and bandwidth. But you don’t have to be on EE or 5G to enjoy it. Like the magic of cinema, this show is for everyone, wherever you are in the UK. This AR experience will be followed by Liam’s 5GEE-powered opening performance on the BAFTA stage on BBC One, where he will be kicking off the ceremony and performing alongside his avatar at the Royal Albert Hall. All of us at EE are proud to present the EE Rising Star Award with a shortlist that recognises some incredible performances from a new generation of talent. A jury of industry stars and experts gathered – digitally, of course – to decide which up-and-coming talents should be nominated to receive the only BAFTA voted for by the public. Our thanks to BAFTA chair Krishnendu Majumdar, who was joined by Alicia Vikander, Jo Hartley, Naomi Ackie, Anand Tucker, Nina Gold, Lucy Bevan, Leo Davis and Gaylene Gould to pick our final five alongside prominent film and arts journalists. Along with broadcaster Edith Bowman, George MacKay, one of our 2014 EE Rising Star nominees, announced the shortlist via livestream for the first time in the award’s 16-year history. Congratulations, then, to Bukky Bakray, Conrad Khan, Kingsley Ben-Adir, Morfydd Clark and ․Sopé ․ ․ Dìrísù. You’ve become part of a phenomenally talented club just by being nominated. Good luck to you all – I look forward to seeing who film fans pick as their winner. I also look forward, as we make our way through the clouds of Covid, to seeing what you do next. I know you will continue to provide us all with entertainment and inspiration in these exceptional times. Enjoy the Awards.
7
N E W
T A L E N T
BAFTA Rocliffe New Writing Showcase: YA and ChildrenÕs Media
S U P P O R T
BAFTA is a registered charity no 216726 and Friends of BAFTA USA is a tax-exempt public charity under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code (“IRC”).
At BAFTA, we believe that talent is everywhere but opportunity is not. Our ambitious plans to redevelop our iconic headquarters at 195 Piccadilly will double its capacity and enable us to dramatically increase the year -round work we do to find and support the next generation of filmmakers and game creators – both onscreen and behind the camera. You can play a pivotal role in supporting the creative future of film, games and television by making a donation today. To find out more, visit bafta.org/about/fundraising or contact Lucy Plaskett on +44 7970 325678 or LucyP@bafta.org
THE N O M I N AT I O N S
13
Adapted Screenplay Animated Film
15
Best Film British Short Animation
17
British Short Film Casting
19
Cinematography Costume Design
21
Director Documentary
23
Editing Film Not in the English Language
25
Leading Actor Leading Actress
27
Make Up & Hair Original Score
29
Original Screenplay Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer
31
Outstanding British Film
33
Production Design Sound
35
Special Visual Effects Supporting Actor
37
Supporting Actress EE Rising Star Award
11
Adapted Screenplay
Animated Film
THE DIG Moira Buffini
ONWARD Dan Scanlon, Kori Rae
THE FATHER Christopher Hampton, Florian Zeller
SOUL Pete Docter, Dana Murray
THE MAURITANIAN Rory Haines, Sohrab Noshirvani, MB Traven
WOLFWALKERS Tomm Moore, Ross Stewart, Paul Young
NOMADLAND Chloé Zhao THE WHITE TIGER Ramin Bahrani
13
Let your audience connect more deeply to the stories you tell
Transform your content with the immersive sound of Dolby Atmos® and the ultra-vivid picture of Dolby Vision®.
Find out more on
www.dolbyforprofessionals.com/en
Best Film
British Short Animation
THE FATHER Philippe Carcassonne, Jean-Louis Livi, David Parfitt
THE FIRE NEXT TIME Renaldho Pelle, Yanling Wang, Kerry Jade Kolbe
THE MAURITANIAN Adam Ackland, Leah Clarke, Beatriz Levin, Lloyd Levin
THE OWL AND THE PUSSYCAT Mole Hill, Laura Duncalf
NOMADLAND Mollye Asher, Dan Janvey, Frances McDormand, Peter Spears, Chloé Zhao
THE SONG OF A LOST BOY Daniel Quirke, Jamie MacDonald, Brid Arnstein
PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN Ben Browning, Emerald Fennell, Ashley Fox, Josey McNamara THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7 Stuart Besser, Marc Platt
15
British Short Film
Casting
EYELASH Jesse Lewis Reece, Ike Newman
CALM WITH HORSES Shaheen Baig
LIZARD Akinola Davies, Rachel Dargavel, Wale Davies
JUDAS AND THE BLACK MESSIAH Alexa L Fogel
LUCKY BREAK John Addis, Rami Sarras Pantoja
MINARI Julia Kim
MISS CURVY Ghada Eldemellawy
PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN Lindsay Graham Ahanonu, Mary Vernieu
THE PRESENT Farah Nabulsi
ROCKS Lucy Pardee
17
Your golden moment MADE FOR THE MOMENT. MADE FROM NEW ZEALAND.
PRO UD PA RT N E R TO B A FTA S INCE 2009
Cinematography
Costume Design
JUDAS AND THE BLACK MESSIAH Sean Bobbitt
AMMONITE Michael O’Connor
MANK Erik Messerschmidt THE MAURITANIAN Alwin H Küchler
THE DIG Alice Babidge EMMA. Alexandra Byrne
NEWS OF THE WORLD Dariusz Wolski
MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM Ann Roth
NOMADLAND Joshua James Richards
MANK Trish Summerville
19
Director
Documentary
ANOTHER ROUND Thomas Vinterberg
COLLECTIVE Alexander Nanau
BABYTEETH Shannon Murphy
DAVID ATTENBOROUGH: A LIFE ON OUR PLANET Alastair Fothergill, Jonnie Hughes, Keith Scholey
MINARI Lee Isaac Chung NOMADLAND Chloé Zhao QUO VADIS, AIDA? Jasmila Žbanić ROCKS Sarah Gavron
THE DISSIDENT Bryan Fogel, Thor Halvorssen, Mark Monroe, Jake Swantko MY OCTOPUS TEACHER Pippa Ehrlich, James Reed, Craig Foster THE SOCIAL DILEMMA Jeff Orlowski, Larissa Rhodes
21
Tell stories that are out of this world with Adobe Premiere Pro.
An Official Session Supporter to the BAFTA Film Sessions.
Editing
Film Not in the English Language
THE FATHER Yorgos Lamprinos
ANOTHER ROUND Thomas Vinterberg, Kasper Dissing, Sisse Graum Jørgensen
NOMADLAND Chloé Zhao PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN Frédéric Thoraval
DEAR COMRADES! Andrei Konchalovsky, Alisher Usmanov
SOUND OF METAL Mikkel EG Nielsen
LES MISÉRABLES Ladj Ly, Toufik Ayadi, Christophe Barral
THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7 Alan Baumgarten
MINARI Lee Isaac Chung, Christina Oh QUO VADIS, AIDA? Jasmila Žbanić, Damir Ibrahimovich
23
Leading Actor
Leading Actress
RIZ AHMED Sound of Metal
BUKKY BAKRAY Rocks
CHADWICK BOSEMAN Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
RADHA BLANK The Forty-Year-Old Version
ADARSH GOURAV The White Tiger
VANESSA KIRBY Pieces of a Woman
ANTHONY HOPKINS The Father
FRANCES MCDORMAND Nomadland
MADS MIKKELSEN Another Round
WUNMI MOSAKU His House
TAHAR RAHIM The Mauritanian
ALFRE WOODARD Clemency
25
“Creating hair is like sculpture. I see hair as fabric that I can mould, feel and see to enhance the individual and reflect the movement and vision required on the screen.” PAU L E D M O N D S
Official Hair Partner to the EE British Academy Film Awards
Make Up & Hair
Original Score
THE DIG Jenny Shircore
MANK Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross
HILLBILLY ELEGY Patricia Dehaney, Eryn Krueger Mekash, Matthew Mungle
MINARI Emile Mosseri
MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM Matiki Anoff, Larry M Cherry, Sergio Lopez-Rivera, Mia Neal MANK Colleen LaBaff, Kimberley Spiteri, Gigi Williams
NEWS OF THE WORLD James Newton Howard PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN Anthony Willis SOUL Jon Batiste, Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross
PINOCCHIO Dalia Colli, Mark Coulier, Francesco Pegoretti
27
Original Screenplay
Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer
ANOTHER ROUND Tobias Lindholm, Thomas Vinterberg
HIS HOUSE Remi Weekes (Writer/Director)
MANK Jack Fincher
LIMBO Ben Sharrock (Writer/Director), Irune Gurtubai (Producer) [also produced by Angus Lamont]
PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN Emerald Fennell ROCKS Theresa Ikoko, Claire Wilson THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7 Aaron Sorkin
MOFFIE Jack Sidey (Writer/Producer) [also written by Oliver Hermanus and produced by Eric Abraham] ROCKS Theresa Ikoko, Claire Wilson (Writers) SAINT MAUD Rose Glass (Writer/Director), Oliver Kassman (Producer) [also produced by Andrea Cornwell]
29
CONGRATULATIONS TO THIS YEAR’S NOMINEES We are proud to support Ammonite | County Lines | Limbo | Mogul Mowgli | Rocks | Saint Maud From nurturing talent through to funding for development, production and reaching audiences across the UK – we champion bold and original storytellers.
bfi.org.uk
Image: Rocks
Outstanding British Film
CALM WITH HORSES Nick Rowland, Daniel Emmerson, Joe Murtagh
LIMBO Ben Sharrock, Irune Gurtubai, Angus Lamont
PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN Emerald Fennell, Ben Browning, Ashley Fox, Josey McNamara
THE DIG Simon Stone, Gabrielle Tana, Ellie Wood, Moira Buffini
THE MAURITANIAN Kevin Macdonald, Adam Ackland, Leah Clarke, Beatriz Levin, Lloyd Levin, Rory Haines, Sohrab Noshirvani, MB Traven
ROCKS Sarah Gavron, Ameenah Ayub Allen, Faye Ward, Theresa Ikoko, Claire Wilson
THE FATHER Florian Zeller, Philippe Carcassone, Jean-Louis Livi, David Parfitt, Christopher Hampton
MOGUL MOWGLI Bassam Tariq, Riz Ahmed, Thomas Benski, Bennett McGhee
SAINT MAUD Rose Glass, Andrea Cornwell, Oliver Kassman
HIS HOUSE Remi Weekes, Martin Gentles, Edward King, Roy Lee
31
C O N G R AT U L AT I O N S T O A L L
NOMINEES AND WINNERS C E L E B R AT I N G Y O U A N D A L L T H O S E W H O H AV E K E P T O U R I N D U S T R Y G O I N G THROUGHOUT THIS CHALLENGING TIME
www.pinewoodgroup.com
Production Design
Sound
THE DIG Maria Djurkovic, Tatiana Macdonald
GREYHOUND Beau Borders, Christian P Minkler, Michael Minkler, Warren Shaw, David Wyman
THE FATHER Peter Francis, Cathy Featherstone MANK Donald Graham Burt, Jan Pascale NEWS OF THE WORLD David Crank, Elizabeth Keenan REBECCA Sarah Greenwood, Katie Spencer
NEWS OF THE WORLD Michael Fentum, William Miller, Mike Prestwood Smith, John Pritchett, Oliver Tarney NOMADLAND Sergio Diaz, Zach Seivers, Michael Wolf Snyder SOUL Coya Elliott, Ren Klyce, David Parker SOUND OF METAL Jaime Baksht, Nicolas Becker, Phillip Bladh, Carlos Cortés, Michelle Couttolenc
33
AMAZON STUDIOS THANKS BAFTA A N D P R O U D LY C ONGR ATUL ATES OUR NOMINEES
BORAT SUBSEQUENT MOVIEFILM SUPPORTING ACTRESS MARIA BAKALOVA
ONE NIGHT IN MIAMI… SUPPORTING ACTOR LESLIE ODOM JR.
SOUND OF METAL LEADING ACTOR RIZ AHMED SUPPORTING ACTOR PAUL RACI EDITING MIKKEL E.G. NIELSEN SOUND JAIME BAKSHT, NICOLAS BECKER, PHILLIP BLADH, CARLOS CORTÉS, MICHELLE COUTTOLENC
Special Visual Effects
Supporting Actor
GREYHOUND Pete Bebb, Nathan McGuinness, Sebastian von Overheidt, Whitney Richman
DANIEL KALUUYA Judas and the Black Messiah
THE MIDNIGHT SKY Matt Kasmir, Chris Lawrence, Max Solomon, David Watkins MULAN Sean Faden, Steve Ingram, Anders Langlands, Seth Maury THE ONE AND ONLY IVAN Santiago Colomo Martinez, Nick Davis, Greg Fisher
BARRY KEOGHAN Calm with Horses ALAN KIM Minari LESLIE ODOM JR One Night in Miami… CLARKE PETERS Da 5 Bloods PAUL RACI Sound of Metal
TENET Scott Fisher, Andrew Jackson, Andrew Lockley
35
EE RISING STAR AWARD Shining a light on the stars of the future
S u ppo r t in g Act res s
E E R ising Star Award Voted for by the public
NIAMH ALGAR Calm with Horses
BUKKY BAKRAY KINGSLEY BEN-ADIR
KOSAR ALI Rocks MARIA BAKALOVA Borat Subsequent Moviefilm
MORFYDD CLARK SOPÉ ․ ․ ․ DÌRÍSÙ CONRAD KHAN
DOMINIQUE FISHBACK Judas and the Black Messiah ASHLEY MADEKWE County Lines YUH-JUNG YOUN Minari
Nominations are correct at the time of going to print. BAFTA reserves the right to make changes to the names listed at any time up until 10 April 2021.
37
J ur i e s & C h apters
JURIES
British Short Animation Claire Jennings (Chair) Bimpe Alliu Gerald Conn Nina Hartstone Laura Howie Maryam Mohajer Eímear Noone Peter Peake Joanna Quinn Sueann Rochester Robin Shaw Alex Usborne Naomi Yang With thanks to Jackie Okwera and Joel Collins for help in the longlisting stages.
Richard E Grant Gillian Hawser David Oyelowo Nisha Parti
Ruth Madeley Lee Magiday Victoria Mahoney Cameron McCracken
Director
Outstanding British Film
Pippa Harris (Chair) Amma Asante Ash Atalla Harry Bradbeer Gugu Mbatha-Raw Paul McGuigan Abi Morgan David Morrissey Oliver Parker Susanna White Morenike Williams
Marc Samuelson (Chair) Rosa Attab Sarah Brocklehurst Mark Eckersley Sean Ellis Andrea Gibb Nic Knowland Hettie Macdonald Joanna Natasegara Misan Sagay Elhum Shakerifar Eve Stewart
British Short Film Alexandra Derbyshire (Chair) Adam Ackland Waad Al-Kateab Anthony Chen Bryce Dallas Howard Sally El Hosaini Aleem Khan Seamus McGarvey Simone Pereira Hind Tim Renkow Juliette Towhidi Dionne Walker
Leading Actor Asif Kapadia (Chair) Barry Ackroyd Gemma Arterton Andrea Calderwood Jina Jay Damian Lewis Alison Owen Pawel Pawlikowski Manjinder Virk Ashley Walters
Leading Actress Casting Clare Stewart (Chair) Aisha Bywaters Kahleen Crawford Sarah Crowe Gary Davy Finola Dwyer
38
Ade Rawcliffe (Chair) Adjoa Andoh James Bobin Alice Eve Aiysha Hart Hong Khaou Kevin Loader Euros Lyn
Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer Briony Hanson (Chair) Kaleem Aftab Alice Birch Iain Canning Loran Dunn Justin Edgar Dexter Fletcher Joy Gharoro-Akpojotor Mark Jenkin Elizabeth Karlsen Paul Mayeda Berges Ray Panthaki Andee Ryder Penny Woolcock Justine Wright With thanks to Tina Gharavi for help in the longlisting stages.
CHAPTERS
Supporting Actor Alison Thompson (Chair) Ella Balinska Thomas Benski Amir El-Masry Emilia Fox Janine Marmot Bennett McGhee Claire Mundell Bharat Nalluri Fiona Shaw Jessica Swale
Supporting Actress David Proud (Chair) J Blakeson Priyanga Burford John Cannon Morven Christie Lindsey Dryden Lashana Lynch Jason Maza Joanna Scanlan Ben Sharrock Polly Steele Nina Toussaint-White Paul Viragh
EE Rising Star Krishnendu Majumdar (Chair) Naomi Ackie Lucy Bevan Helen Bownass Leo Davis Lena de Casparis Nina Gold Gaylene Gould Jo Hartley Larushka Ivan-Zadeh Alice Jones
Tom Macklin Sarah Tomczak Anand Tucker Alicia Vikander Laura Weir With thanks to Charles Gant and Alison Thompson for help in the longlisting stages.
Longlisting Anna Higgs (Chair) Anthony Andrews Isabel Begg Alexandra Derbyshire James Floyd Charles Gant Gaylene Gould Jo Hartley Uzma Hassan Asif Kapadia Jane Pollard David Proud Marc Samuelson Clare Stewart
Craft Chapters Acting Casting Cinematography Costume Design Directing Editing Make Up & Hair Music Production Design Screenplay Sound Special Visual Effects
Opt-in Chapters Animation British Short Animation and British Short Film Documentary Film Not in the English Language Outstanding British Film
Craft chapters consist of Academy members with specialist experience in the relative field. Opt-in chapters are open to all members who are willing to commit to watching the eligible films. Special Award recipients are selected by the Film Committee. For details of the voting process, including key changes made for 2021, please visit: awards.bafta.org/entry#ee-britishacademy-film-awards
39
Longl i sts A N E W LO N G L I ST I N G R O U N D F O R A L L CAT E G O R I ES WA S I N T R O D U C E D A F T E R T H E B A F TA 20 20 R E V I E W W I T H T H E A I M O F L E V E L L I N G T H E P L AY I N G F I E L D. LISTED HERE ARE THE FOUR BRITISH LONGLISTS – E AC H CAT E G O RY S H OWCA S I N G E XC E P T I O N A L B R I T I S H F I L M S A N D TA L E N T. W E E N C O U R AG E YO U TO WATC H T H ES E DY N A M I C F I L M S A N D D I S C OV E R SOME UNIQUE AND ASPIRING BRITISH ARTISTS. F I N A L N O M I N E ES M A R K E D I N B O L D. . .
British Short Animation Bench Cha Chado The Fire Next Time The Owl and the Pussycat The Song of a Lost Boy
British Short Film The Birth of Valerie Venus Dad Was Dolápo ․ ․ is Fine Eyelash Lizard Lucky Break Miss Curvy My Brother’s Keeper The Present Tic Toc
Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer The Australian Dream Sarah Thomson (Producer) [also produced by Virginia Whitwell, John Battsek, Nick Batzias] Being a Human Person Fred Scott (Director) Calm with Horses Joseph Murtagh (Writer), Nick Rowland (Director) His House Remi Weekes (Writer/Director)
40
Limbo Ben Sharrock (Writer/Director), Irune Gurtubai (Producer) [also produced by Angus Lamont] Moffie Jack Sidey (Writer/Producer) [also written by Oliver Hermanus and produced by Eric Abraham] Mogul Mowgli Riz Ahmed (Writer/Producer) [also written by Bassam Tariq and produced by Thomas Benski, Bennett McGhee, Michael Peay] Rare Beasts Billie Piper (Writer/Director) The Reason I Jump Jeremy Dear (Producer) [also produced by Stevie Lee, Al Morrow] Rocks Theresa Ikoko, Claire Wilson (Writers) Saint Maud Rose Glass (Writer/Director), Oliver Kassman (Producer) [also produced by Andrea Cornwell] White Riot Rubika Shah (Director), Ed Gibbs (Producer)
Outstanding British Film Ammonite Calm with Horses County Lines The Courier David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet The Dig Emma. The Father Herself His House Limbo The Mauritanian Misbehaviour Mogul Mowgli Promising Young Woman Radioactive Rebecca Rocks Saint Maud Supernova For the full longlists for every category, please visit: bafta.org/film/longlists-2021
T H E FAT H E R
WO R DS BY L E I L A L AT I F
43
B est Film nomine e
HOPKINS’ PERFORMANCE DELIVERS A TRUE SENSE OF THIS CHARMING, S H A R P -T O N G U E D, PROUD MAN WHO IS MADE SO VULNERABLE BY HIS MIND FAILING HIM.
44
Death. Seems like a singular event; at one moment we are alive, inhabiting the world, until the fateful point where we exist no longer. What Florian Zeller’s auspicious debut shows is a more complicated, protracted and agonising journey away from ourselves. One where identity and dignity is slowly chipped away from a man to leave him crumpled and sobbing in his pyjamas, no longer sure of who he is. “I feel I am losing all my leaves, the branches in the wind and the rain,” he says. “I don’t know what is happening anymore.” The Father is told from Anthony’s (Anthony Hopkins) perspective. We first encounter him in his large Edwardian mansion flat on a leafy London avenue, taking in an aria in a high-backed leather chair. His daughter, Anne (Olivia Colman), has come to see him about the carer he insists he doesn’t need. At first it seems he might be right, he and his home are both immaculate, but Hopkins layers in a slight duplicity to all that Anthony says. The dynamic between Anthony and Anne pivots between warm affection and casual cruelty. Colman
THE FATHER
matches Hopkins in effortlessly inhabiting their characters, gently expressed through every square millimetre of their faces. The horror in Anne’s eyes hints at Anthony’s paranoia and forgetfulness and the feeling that something is amiss, but nothing prepares us for the sudden and complete unravelling of his reality. Characters are played by different actors and, from scene to scene, have varying motives and back stories. At times, this feels like a horror film because, in many ways, it is. Anthony is trapped in a vortex of nightmares with no hope of escape. Adapted from Zeller’s Le Père, one of the most acclaimed plays of the last decade, its transition to screen beautifully utilises the medium to tell Anthony’s story (the name deliberately changed from the play’s André to help blur the lines of reality further still). So much of the film is about his untethering from a physical space; the flat itself is ever-shifting, the tiles behind the sink, the light fixtures and art on the walls all change, move and disappear. Whereas the Anthony we first meet was determined never to leave his home, it is not long before he has lost all sense of what this flat is and whether it even belongs to him.
BEST FILM NOMINEES Ph i l i ppe Carcasso n n e, J ean -Lo u is L iv i, D av id Par f itt
O T H E R N O M I N AT E D C AT E G O R I E S Adapted S c re e n pl ay , Edi ti n g, Leadi n g Acto r, O u tstan din g B r itish F i l m , Produ cti o n D e sign
The true magic of The Father is how well drawn each reality is. The dynamics between Anthony and his daughter, carer, nurse, doctor and son-in-law has such richness and specificity that we, like Anthony, continually feel that this version of events must be true. Each time that the world resets and Anthony is untethered again, the loss is profoundly felt. There is such intricacy to Hopkins’ performance that we have a true sense of the charming, sharptongued, proud man who is made so vulnerable by his mind failing him. It is agonising to watch as he attempts to paper over the cracks, pretending to recognise people and scenarios that contradict one another or laugh off his confusion. Each place he wakes may not match with what came before but he has no choice but to accept and negotiate each unconditional reality. Anthony is trapped, confused, alone and mourning his own death while he’s still alive. His home, his freedom and his identity are all gone and yet he is still here. Leila Latif is a freelance film critic and broadcaster who regularly contributes to Little White Lies, Total Film and BBC Radio 4
45
Working behind the scenes with BAFTA As official scrutineers, when BAFTA needs our help, we act. Providing them with confidence in the results during the awards season. www.deloitte.co.uk/TMT © 2021 Deloitte LLP. All rights reserved.
T H E M A U R I TA N I A N
WORDS BY GUY LODGE
47
B est Film nomine e
BEST FILM NOMINEES Ad a m Ackl a n d , Lea h C l a rke, B ea t riz Lev in , L l o y d Lev in O T H E R N O M I N AT E D C AT E G O R I E S Ad a pted S cre en pl ay, C i n ema tograp hy, Lea din g Actor, O u tstan d in g Brit ish F ilm
Kevin Macdonald has always been a filmmaker as fluent in the language of documentary as that of drama. His own gilded history with BAFTA reflects that, with wins for The Last King of Scotland (2006) and Touching the Void (2003), and a further nomination for Marley (2012) – three films that sit at different points on the elastic spectrum between the two forms. It’s been seven years since he last made a narrative feature film, the sturdy, old-school submarine thriller Black Sea (2014); since then he’s given us a probing docu-portrait of Whitney Houston (Whitney, 2018) and a second edition of his innovative crowdsourcing project Life in a Day (2021). At first glance, one might have expected the story of Mohamedou Ould Slahi to once more draw out the documentarian in Macdonald. Slahi’s 2015 memoir Guantánamo Diary would certainly have made for potent non-fiction cinema, bringing as it does a bruised, immediate personal perspective to recent history that most of us know through more generic headlines. The Mauritanian, however, marries the filmmaker’s gifts as a truth-seeker and a storyteller alike. A riveting legal thriller that moves with the fleet, propulsive rhythm of the best in its genre, it all the while maintains a rare ring of as-it-happened emotional conviction. The result reinvigorates our rage over a human rights scandal that has since been exposed, but remains hard to fathom: we know what happened, but how could it have done? Slahi was 30 years old when he was detained in his homeland of Mauritania at the request of US authorities, reeling from the shock of 9/11 and desperate to apprehend anyone conceivably responsible.
48
THE MAU RITANIAN
Slahi’s past ties to al-Qaida were evidence enough in their eyes, even as he insisted they were long severed. It’s these specious grounds that eventually carried him to the infamous Guantánamo Bay detention camp, never firming up as the years passed – 14 of them, to be precise, without ever being charged of a crime. If it sounds like a nearKaf kaesque nightmare of bureaucratic cruelty, Kaf ka never had to reckon with the specifically absurd iniquities of the Bush administration. The Mauritanian unpacks them both methodically and with stoic fury, working backwards in tandem with the investigations of its second hero, Nancy Hollander – the doughty defence lawyer who took on his case, perfectly played by Jodie Foster with her signature blend of briskness and lone wolf determination. Working from a screenplay that deftly reflects the ebb and flow of procedural law, where each surging breakthrough comes with corresponding frustration, Macdonald takes his time to show us – in vivid, immersive cinematic detail, as Alwin H Kuchler’s camerawork thrashes and flashes and burns – the full extent of the horrors Slahi endured.
A RIVETING LEGAL THRILLER T H AT M OV ES W I T H T H E F L E E T, PROPULSIVE RHYTHM OF THE BEST IN ITS GENRE.
The reveal is jolting but not surprising: thanks to Tahar Rahim’s astonishing performance as Slahi, the man’s full account of abuse, exhaustion and defeat is written on his face from the moment we meet him. With flickers of wit underlying his wounds, Rahim plays the prisoner with an alert, individual humanity that in turn gives Macdonald’s film a soul to match its conscience. The Mauritanian never reduces Slahi to a saintly symbol or victim, even as his story reflects any number of equivalent, untold injustices committed in Guantánamo’s dank, despairing cells. May they all eventually come so powerfully to light. Guy Lodge is a film critic for Variety and The Observer
49
NOMADLAND
WORDS BY BETH WEBB
51
B est Film nomine e
It’s perhaps no coincidence that one of the most decorated films of the past year presents the freedom of a roaming, untethered life outdoors with redefined romanticism. Chloé Zhao’s compassionate and expansive study of nomad culture rests at a skilfully placed point between fiction and documentary, using Frances McDormand’s Fern and her life on the road as her ‘in’.
CHLOÉ ZHAO’S C O M PAS S I O N AT E AND EXPANSIVE STUDY OF NOMAD C U LT U R E R E S T S AT A S K I L F U L LYPLACED POINT BETWEEN FICTION AND D O C U M E N TA R Y.
McDormand optioned the rights to Jessica Bruder’s non-fiction book Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-first Century in 2017 and sought out Zhao to direct, having admired her sprawling sophomore feature The Rider (2017). Together, they developed Fern, a resilient, fictional character who is recently widowed and unemployed after her company hometown in Nevada has gone under (even the zip code has dissolved). Yet Zhao refrains from framing Fern sympathetically. We learn that she enjoys work and her independence, and after a snowy spell packing boxes for Amazon, Fern loads up her scuffed white van and travels to a community in the Arizona desert, where her pragmatism and brisk, friendly nature make nomad life an easy fit.
52
NOMAD L AND
It’s invigorating to see McDormand – an actress known for her tenacity and serrated agency – guide the film without ever taking possession of it. Instead, her sturdy, sometimes mischievous presence is used to elevate the enduring nonfictional elements of Nomadland. As with The Rider and her directorial debut Songs My Brother Taught Me (2015), Zhao sought out and persuaded non-professional actors to bring their experiences and collective spirit to the film. Their contributions sit at the heart of some of Nomadland’s defining moments. Shared stories by firelight, and a tear duct-prickling scene in which Fern’s departing friend Swankie recounts past adventures in her kayak, linger on account of their untampered sincerity and ground the film in the absence of any significant plot. Around these wandering souls, Zhao and her longstanding cinematographer, Joshua James Richards, capture the film’s geography with patience and poise. When Fern embarks on her many solitary walks, a glacial tracking shot trails slightly behind her and a nourishing stillness is preserved in this distant, reverential framing of her chosen world. Zhao edited the film alongside writing and directing it, and here also seems motivated by the desire to observe rather than overly dictate, with generously lengthy shots that conjure an unrushed, even stately rhythm within the film.
BEST FILM NOMINEES M o l l y e As he r, Da n J a nve y , F ra n c e s M c D o r m a n d , P ete r Sp ea rs, C hl o é Z ha o
O T H E R N O M I N AT E D C AT E G O R I E S Ad a pted S c re e n p l a y , C i n e m a tog ra p hy , Di re cto r, Ed i t i n g , Lea d i n g Act re s s, S o u n d
It would be tempting to weave political commentary into the film’s fabric given how it opens in the wake of a global recession, and with many of the nomads in Fern’s company nudged onto the road after being failed by the state. Zhao resists however, and instead subtly celebrates the ways in which the community strengthens each other through unrequited kindness. She also interrogates what truly matters in the face of grief and healing. While eating a banana and peanut butter sandwich on her lunch break, Fern’s neighbour shares a tattoo made up of Morrissey lyrics that cut right to the heart of the film: “Home, is it just a word? Or is it something you carry within you?” Beth Webb is a contributing editor at Empire Magazine
53
Congratulations to tonight’s winners from your friends at CTV Proud to be producing events remotely round the world
CTV Outside Broadcasts Ltd - 3 The Merlin Centre, Lancaster Road, High Wycombe, HP12 3QL Adam Berger: adam@ctvob.co.uk / Bill Morris: bill@ctvob.co.uk / hello@ctvob.co.uk / 020 8453 8989 / www.ctvob.co.uk Photo credits: The Mens Boat Race: Leo Mason DANCE Photos/Alamy Live News. NFL International Series Game: Newscom/Alamy Live News. London Marathon: Alex Cavendish/Alamy Stock Photo X Factor Live Shows: George Reay. Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials: Jonathan Clarke/Alamy Stock Photo. FIFA Women’s World Cup: Xinhua/Alamy Stock Photo ICC Cricket World Cup: Cal Sport Media/Alamy Stock Photo. BAFTA Awards: BAFTA/Richard Kendal. Golf Open Championship: Aflo Co. Ltd./Alamy Stock Photo
PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN
WO R DS BY A M O N WA R M A N N
55
B est Film nomine e
With Hollywood still grappling with the #MeToo era, the rape/ revenge sub-genre has seldom been timelier than it is today. This has already led to some effective art: The Assistant and Never Rarely Sometimes Always and television series I May Destroy You (all 2020) are three excellent recent examples that highlight the harmful repercussions of abuse. But while those projects are appropriately oppressive, Promising Young Woman manages to be entertaining, despite all the heavy subject matter on its mind, while confounding expectations time and time again.
A M U S T- S E E LO N G BEFORE THE FINAL ACT UNFOLDS, B U T T H E B A L L S Y, CONTROVERSIAL ENDING ENSURES WE WILL BE THINKING ABOUT IT LONG AFTER THE CREDITS ROLL.
56
Emerald Fennell’s audacious debut film could easily be summarised as just ‘men are the worst’. But in the interest of full disclosure, it focuses on Cassandra (Carey Mulligan), a 30-year-old woman who works in a coffee shop by day and hangs out in bars at night. We’re introduced to her on one such evening, and quickly get a taste of her favourite nocturnal activity: acting drunk to the point of almost being passed out and then turning the tables on unsuspecting men who are looking to take advantage of women unable to give consent.
PROMI S ING YO U NG WOMAN
About the only foreseeable thing that follows in this pleasingly unpredictable film is Mulligan’s outstanding lead performance. She is one of the most chameleonic actors working today and Promising Young Woman finds her at arguably her career best, switching personas on a dime in addition to communicating multitudes with a single look. She’s never less than riveting to watch – you can’t take your eyes off her. That Promising Young Woman doesn’t lose itself in a series of twists and tonal shifts – a detour into romantic comedy territory is especially unexpected, yet charming all the same – is a testament to Fennell. There simply aren’t many people who have the boldness and, more importantly, the skill to pull this off on their first time out, but at no point does the writer-director play it safe. There’s enough commentary here on the lack of justice for women, survivor’s remorse and how doing nothing is to be complicit to satiate three separate movies. Fennell finds a way to put them all in one film, announcing herself as a voice that we should be paying attention to in the process. On a technical level, Promising Young Woman is just as impressive. The production design is as striking as the costumes, while Anthony Willis’ score goes from appropriately sinister to warm and comforting as the plot demands (and yes, that warped version of Britney Spears’ ‘Toxic’ from the trailer is included in the film itself ). It fits perfectly alongside an excellent pop soundtrack, which makes superb use of Paris Hilton’s ‘Stars are Blind’ in a standout sequence.
BEST FILM NOMINEES B e n B row n i n g , E m e ra l d Fe n n e l l , As hl e y Fox, J o s e y M c N a m a ra
O T H E R N O M I N AT E D C AT E G O R I E S C a st i n g , Ed i t i n g , O r i g i n a l S c o re, O r i g i n a l S c re e n p l a y , O u tsta n d i n g B r i t i s h Fi l m
This all means that Promising Young Woman is a must-see long before the final act unfolds, but the ballsy, controversial ending ensures that we will be thinking about it long after the credits roll. Is the conclusion a little far-fetched? Maybe. Are the final minutes satisfying? Definitely. It’s the mark of a confident director staying true to her vision, confounding our expectations one last time. Amon Warmann is a contributing editor and monthly columnist at Empire Magazine
57
THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7
WORDS BY JACK KING
59
B est Film nomine e
“I do not find it easy to send the flower of our youth, our finest young men, into battle,” said President Lyndon B Johnson on 28 July 1965, outlining a major escalation of America’s presence in Vietnam. Three years later, thousands of America’s finest young men had perished in the latest of the nation’s myriad conflicts. The domestic scene was no less tumultuous. The cold-blooded assassination of Vietnam critic Martin Luther King, Jr (which some alleged involved a government conspiracy) led to civil unrest in more than 100 cities across the country. The very same night he won the Democratic primary in California, Bobby Kennedy, brother of assassinated President John F and a heart-on-his-sleeve liberal, was THIS IS SORKIN murdered at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles. AT H I S B E S T, H I S With demonstrations dominating the daily news, the DIALOGUE SKIPPING US was in the throes of moral anguish. ALONG WITH
FRENETIC CADENCE, MONOLOGUES PLAYED THROUGH TO THEIR THRILLING CRESCENDOS.
60
Against this fiery backdrop, various political action groups converged on the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago. After an explosive confrontation with local police, the leaders were charged with breaching an arbitrary federal law. Commence Aaron Sorkin’s The Trial of the Chicago 7: a battle not only for individual liberties but, as with all great courtroom dramas, the very soul of the
THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAG O 7
nation. The groups are forced to form an unsteady coalition, with Bobby Seale (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II), leader of the Black Panthers, rubbing shoulders with statesman-like politico Tom Hayden (Eddie Redmayne) and The Mobe’s leader-come-archetypal dad, David Dellinger (John Carroll Lynch), each the picket fence epitomes of white respectability. Throw in anarchic hippies Abbie Hoffman (Sacha Baron Cohen) and Jerry Rubin (Jeremy Strong) and you have one helluva political powder keg. There are clear parallels between the social upheaval of late ’60s America seen in The Trial of the Chicago 7 and the rifts emerging in the current climate, not least in our renewed conversations around racial justice and the lingering stain of white supremacy. The film cannot be called ‘timely’, because that implies novelty; on the contrary, police brutality, racism and state oppression have long been, and continue to be, some of the US’ central narratives. To its great credit, nonetheless, The Trial of the Chicago 7 confronts the corruption of the state head on. Unlike the lion’s share of star-spangled courtroom dramas that have preceded it – inclusive of Sorkin’s own A Few Good Men (1992) – the court, here, is not a handy patriotic metonym for democratic justice. The judge (played by Frank Langella) is a blithering old coot, either inept or corrupt – if, indeed, there is a difference. It is in spite of the judicial system, not because of it, that freedom is eventually won.
BEST FILM NOMINEES St u a r t B e s s e r, M a rc P l a t t
O T H E R N O M I N AT E D C AT E G O R I E S Ed i t i n g , O r i g i n a l S c re e n p l a y
This is Sorkin at his best, his dialogue skipping along with frenetic cadence, monologues played through to their thrilling crescendos. An enduring faith in American liberal democracy surges through Sorkin’s filmography; this is, perhaps, the apex of that optimism. The America that The Trial of the Chicago 7 celebrates is the America that the make-up of the Chicago Seven emblemises: a melting pot of disparate ideological figureheads coming together for a greater cause. It’s a refreshingly powerful testament to the strength of the collective rather than individual will. With our politics fractured and philosophical differences exhaustive, one wonders if such a coalition could form in the present moment. But maybe there’s room for optimism. Jack King is a freelance writer. He has written for BBC Culture, i-D, Little White Lies and British GQ
61
62
ANG LEE THE FELLOWSHIP
WO R DS BY N e i l S m i t h PORTRAIT BY William Callan for Contour by Getty Images IMAGES: 2006 Film Awards b y B A F TA / G r e g W i l l i a m s | Film stills courtesy of Alamy Stock Photo: Crouching
T i g e r, H i d d e n D r a g o n – AF Archive for The Film Company; Life of Pi – Allstar Picture Library Ltd for 20th C e n t u r y F o x ; B r o ke b a c k
Mountain – Kimberly French/ PictureLux / The Hollywood Archive for Focus Features
The latest deserving recipient of BAFTA’s highest honour is no stranger to the organisation or its awards. The winner of two BAFTAs for achievement in Direction, one Best Film award and another for Film Not in the English Language, writer-directorproducer Ang Lee was also honoured with the John Schlesinger Britannia Award for Excellence in Directing in 2016. Add a Children’s BAFTA for Feature Film and six additional nominations, and you have a filmmaker who has been a regular presence at BAFTA’s ceremonies for more than 25 years. Despite this, Lee expresses both surprise and humility at the prospect of becoming BAFTA’s newest recipient of the Fellowship. “What can I say? It’s a tremendous honour,” he says down the line from Taipei. “I am so flattered and humbled. It’s thrilling to be with such giants as Hitchcock, Bergman, Fellini and Kubrick. I’ve loved movies since I was a kid and they were my idols.” Born in southern Taiwan in 1954, Lee grew up on a diet of musical melodrama and martial arts pictures that stoked a passion for entertainment and spectacle. It was only later that he discovered art cinema, a revelation that took him to the USA and New York University’s highly prestigious film school. It was there he made his first short films, among them the award-winning Fine Line (1984). He also collaborated with fellow hopeful Spike Lee, serving as first assistant director on his thesis film. “He was a year ahead of me, and we helped each other out,” Lee recalls. “He struck me as a great writer and he shot very fast.”
“IT’S THRILLING TO BE WITH SUCH GIANTS AS HITCHCOCK, BERGMAN, FELLINI AND K U B R I C K. T H E Y A R E M Y I D O LS.” 63
Success did not come immediately for Lee upon graduation, leading to a lean few years for him, his wife Jane and their two young sons. But the tide turned in 1990 when he submitted two screenplays to a Taiwanese screenwriting competition, finishing first and second place. The works that came out of them, 1991’s Pushing Hands and 1993’s The Wedding Banquet, touched audiences around the world with their portraits of intergenerational conflict among immigrant families in the West. Eat Drink Man Woman (1994), meanwhile, caught the attention of BAFTA, receiving a nomination in 1995 for Film Not in the English Language. “I started out making mainstream movies for a Taiwanese audience, in America,” Lee explains. “They had to be specific but also universal. Being foreign is a big thing for me. I’m always looking from outside in and inside out.”
“BEING FOREIGN IS A BIG THING FOR ME. I ’ M A LW A Y S LO O K I N G F R O M OUTSIDE IN AND I N S I D E O U T.”
64
None of the films in Lee’s commonly called ‘Father Knows Best’ trilogy suggested an affinity with literary adaptation. Yet, he nevertheless proved an inspired choice to direct the 1995 version of Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility, working with Emma Thompson, Hugh Grant and Kate Winslet to construct an exquisite comedy of manners with a powerfully emotional undertow. “It was very intimidating to make my first film in English, and first period piece, with an English cast and crew,” Lee concedes. “But it was a movie about repression, which I understand very much as an Asian director.” Two further adaptations,
1997’s The Ice Storm and 1999’s Ride with the Devil, again showed his ability to turn pre-existing material into resonant drama across a range of different genres. Having made his name in Hollywood, Lee promptly headed off to China to make Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000), a thrilling homage to the classic wuxia genre. “I wasn’t a martial arts director but I was allowed to give it a try,” he says. “I used to joke it was both my childhood fantasy and my midlife crisis.” Another left turn ensued in 2003 when Lee directed Hulk, an audacious reappraisal of the Marvel superhero. “I thought I was doing a pulpy psychodrama with lots of visual innovations,” he expounds. “The result was not what I expected, but it was still a great learning experience.” Lee wrong-footed audiences once again with 2005’s Brokeback Mountain, an adaptation of Annie Proulx’s story about cowboys in Wyoming who clandestinely fall in love. Delicately crafted, brilliantly acted and almost unbearably sad, the film saw Lee crowned best director at both the
FILMOGRAPHY ( S E L E CT, A S D I R E CTO R )
2019 2016 2012 2009 2007 2005 2003 2000 1999 1997 1995 1994 1993 1991
Gemini Man Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk ** Life of Pi ** Taking Woodstock ** Lust, Caution ** Brokeback Mountain Hulk Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon ** Ride with the Devil The Ice Storm ** Sense and Sensibility Eat Drink Man Woman * The Wedding Banquet *** Pushing Hands ***
* also writer ** also producer *** also writer and producer
Opposite: Discussing a scene with Chow Yun Fat in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000); This page: With his BAFTA for Direction for Brokeback Mountain in 2006
65
BAFTAs and the Oscars. “I didn’t know what I had in common with gay cowboys but it was a great love story,” Lee reflects. “I was also exhausted after Hulk, so it was a very nurturing experience that gave me back my love of moviemaking.”
“THE CHALLENGE I S A LW A Y S T O TRY SOMETHING N E W. I WO U L D LIKE MY CAREER TO BE LIKE A NEVER-ENDING F I L M S C H O O L .”
66
Returning to China for Lust, Caution (2007), Lee treated audiences to a heady saga of World War II espionage before decamping to the US for the sweetly nostalgic Taking Woodstock (2009). Life of Pi (2012), meanwhile, saw him deploy the most sophisticated visual effects available to bring Yann Martel’s tale of a young Indian sharing a lifeboat with a tiger to stunning, three-dimensional life. (“Water, a kid, animation, 3D – it was all the most difficult elements mashed together,” Lee chuckles.) Lee’s fascination with cutting-edge technology was on display again in Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk (2016), a war hero’s rite of passage he shot using an extra high frame rate. Similarly, in 2019’s Gemini Man, he used de-ageing motion capture to pit Will Smith against his cloned younger self.
AWAR D S & N O M I NAT I O N S BA F TA W I N S
OTHER HONOURS (SELECT )
( F I L M , U N L ES S STAT E D)
2012 Academy Award win, Directing, Life of Pi 2009 Cannes Film Festival nomination, Palme d’Or, Taking Woodstock 2005 Academy Award win, Directing, Brokeback Mountain 2006 Golden Globe win, Best Director – Motion Picture, Brokeback Mountain 2001 Academy Award win, Foreign Language Film, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon 2001 Golden Globe win, Best Director – Motion Picture, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon 1997 Cannes Film Festival nomination, Palme d’Or, The Ice Storm
2016 The John Schlesinger Award for Excellence in Directing (Britannia Award) 2013 Life of Pi – Feature Film (Children’s) 2006 Brokeback Mountain – Achievement in Direction 2001 Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon – Achievement in Direction, Film Not in the English Language 1996 Sense and Sensibility – Best Film, with Lindsay Doran BA F TA N O M I N AT I O N S
2013 Life of Pi – Best Film, Director 2008 Lust, Caution – Film Not in the English Language 2001 Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon – Best Film 1996 Sense and Sensibility – Achievement in Direction 1995 Eat Drink Man Woman – Film Not in the English Language
“In some ways you want to try the newest thing to go back to the oldest pleasure,” says Lee of the way he uses technology. “The challenge is always to try something new. I would like my career to be like a never-ending film school and I want to try everything. I’m curious so I take the road I think the material requires.”
Opposite: Behind the scenes of Life of Pi (2012, top); and with Heath Ledger for Brokeback Mountain (2005, bottom)
Like many people in the industry, the global lockdown has afforded Lee some time to take stock. It has also given him an opportunity to reflect on the director’s role, and the advice he might offer to budding filmmakers. “I’d tell them to be fresh, be honest and to keep their curiosity,” he muses. “There is something about the medium that dares us to be honest and touch the truth. It may sound philosophical but honesty is more important than craft. So keep yourself fresh, keep exploring and open your heart to share.” Neil Smith is a journalist, critic and contributing editor of Total Film
67
F e l l ows of t h e Ac adem y
1971 Alfred Hitchcock 1972 Freddie Young obe 1973 Grace Wyndham Goldie 1974 David Lean 1975 Jacques Cousteau 1976 Sir Charles Chaplin 1976 Lord Olivier 1977 Sir Denis Forman 1978 Fred Zinnemann 1979 Lord Grade 1979 Sir Huw Wheldon 1980 David Attenborough cbe 1980 John Huston 1981 Abel Gance 1981 Michael Powell 1981 Emeric Pressburger 1982 Andrzej Wajda 1983 Sir Richard Attenborough cbe 1984 Sir Hugh Greene 1984 Sam Spiegel 1985 Jeremy Isaacs 1986 Steven Spielberg 1987 Federico Fellini 1988 Ingmar Bergman 1989 Sir Alec Guinness ch, cbe 1990 Paul Fox 1991 Louis Malle 1992 Sir John Gielgud 1992 David Plowright 1993 Sydney Samuelson cbe 1993 Colin Young cbe 1994 Michael Grade cbe 1995 Billy Wilder 1996 Jeanne Moreau 1996 Ronald Neame cbe 1996 John Schlesinger cbe 1996 Dame Maggie Smith 1997 Woody Allen 1997 Steven Bochco 1997 Julie Christie 1997 Oswald Morris obe 1997 Harold Pinter cbe
68
1997 David Rose 1998 Sean Connery 1998 Bill Cotton cbe 1999 Eric Morecambe & Ernie Wise 1999 Elizabeth Taylor 2000 Michael Caine 2000 Stanley Kubrick (posthumous) 2000 Peter Bazalgette 2001 Albert Finney 2001 John Thaw 2001 Dame Judi Dench 2002 Warren Beatty 2002 Merchant Ivory Productions 2002 Andrew Davies 2002 Sir John Mills 2003 Saul Zaentz 2003 David Jason 2004 John Boorman 2004 Roger Graef 2005 John Barry obe 2005 Sir David Frost obe 2006 Lord Puttnam cbe 2006 Ken Loach 2007 Anne V Coates obe 2007 Richard Curtis cbe 2007 Will Wright 2008 Sir Anthony Hopkins cbe 2008 Bruce Forsyth cbe 2009 Terry Gilliam 2009 Nolan Bushnell 2009 Dawn French & Jennifer Saunders 2010 Vanessa Redgrave cbe 2010 Shigeru Miyamoto 2010 Lord Bragg 2011 Sir Christopher Lee cbe 2011 Peter Molyneux obe 2011 Sir Trevor McDonald obe 2012 Martin Scorsese 2013 Sir Alan Parker
2013 Gabe Newell 2013 Michael Palin cbe 2014 Dame Helen Mirren 2014 Rockstar Games 2014 Julie Walters cbe 2015 Mike Leigh 2015 David Braben obe 2015 Jon Snow 2016 Sir Sidney Poitier 2016 John Carmack 2016 Ray Galton obe & Alan Simpson obe 2017 Mel Brooks 2017 Joanna Lumley obe 2018 Sir Ridley Scott 2018 Tim Schafer 2018 Kate Adie obe 2019 Thelma Schoonmaker 2019 Dame Joan Bakewell dbe 2020 Kathleen Kennedy 2020 Hideo Kojima
Names and honours correct at time of presentation.
Director
Second home to the brightest & the best since 1889
thesavoylondon.com
Elizabeth Taylor Eli The Savoy, 1950s
O f f ic e rs of t h e Ac adem y OFFICERS
COMMITTEES
HRH The Duke of Cambridge, kg Academy President
Paul Taiano obe Co-optee and Chair, Finance and Audit Committee
Barbara Broccoli obe Vice-President, Film
Kathryn Busby Co-optee
David Gardner obe Vice-President, Games
Sir Lloyd Dorfman cbe Co-optee
Greg Dyke Vice-President, Television
Maria Ishak Co-optee
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Paul Morrell obe Co-optee
Krishnendu Majumdar Chair of the Academy Dame Pippa Harris dbe Deputy Chair of the Academy Anna Higgs Deputy Chair, Film Committee Sara Putt Deputy Chair, Television Committee Ade Rawcliffe Chair, Learning, Inclusion and Talent Committee Marc Samuelson Chair, Film Committee Dr Jo Twist obe Chair, Games Committee Hannah Wyatt Chair, Television Committee John Smith Co-optee and Chair, Commercial Committee
Medwyn Jones Honorary Advisor
ELECTED MEMBERS OF THE FILM COMMITTEE
Marc Samuelson Chair Anna Higgs Deputy Chair
Isabel Begg Simon Chinn Noel Clarke Alexandra Derbyshire Joanne Hartley Asif Kapadia Clare Stewart Alison Thompson ELECTED MEMBERS OF THE GAMES COMMITTEE
Amanda Berry obe Chief Executive
Dr Jo Twist obe Chair
Kevin Price Chief Operating Officer
Tara Saunders Deputy Chair Claire Boissiere Nick Button-Brown* Des Gayle Leanne Loombe Catherine Woolley ELECTED MEMBERS OF THE TELEVISION COMMITTEE
Hannah Wyatt Chair Sara Putt Deputy Chair Lara Akeju Elizabeth McIntyre Ade Rawcliffe Beryl Richards* Fatima Salaria Nicky Sargent John Strickland Claire Zolkwer Children’s representatives
*
71
P a r t n e rs of t h e Ac adem y B A F TA’ S PA R T N E R S H AV E S H OW N G R E AT LOYA LT Y I N T H E I R Y E A R - R O U N D AS S O C I AT I O N W I T H T H E BA F TA B RA N D, A N D S H A R E O U R C O M M I T M E N T A N D PA S S I O N F O R T H E I N D U S T R I E S W E R E P R E S E N T. W E WA R M LY T H A N K T H E M F O R T H E I R C O M M I T M E N T TO T H E ACA D E M Y A N D O U R M I S S I O N TO S U P P O R T, DEVELOP AND PROMOTE EXCELLENCE IN THE FILM, GAMES AND TELEVISION INDUSTRIES. ACADEMY PARTNERS
Acqua Panna Audi UK Champagne Taittinger Deloitte S.Pellegrino Villa Maria ACADEMY SUPPORTERS
CTV Dolby The Farm BAFTA CYMRU
Bad Wolf BBC Cymru Wales Boom Cymru Bomper Studio Buzz Magazine Cardiff Council Chapter Arts Centre Channel 4 Cuebox Cywain Decade 10 Elstree Light and Power Gorilla Galeri Caernarfon ITV Cymru Wales Pontio Bangor S4C Trosol Welsh Government Working Word
BAFTA SCOTLAND
BBC Scotland Channel 4 Edit 123 EE Everyman Cinemas The Galashan Trust Glasgow Film Theatre Grosvenor Cinema Material Odeon Cinemas Screen Scotland STV BAFTA LOS ANGELES
American Airlines BBC America BritBox Cunard Dana & Albert R. Broccoli Charitable Foundation Deadline Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills Global Student Accommodation Jaguar Land Rover North America Kinetic Content The London West Hollywood at Beverly Hills Los Angeles Times
For further information about partnership opportunities, please contact: partnerships@bafta.org
72
Mark Pigott, k be Maybourne Hotel Group Netflix Screen International Variety The Wrap BAFTA IN ASIA
IFFAM The Peninsula LEARNING, INCLU S ION & TALENT PARTNERS
Adobe Cartoon Network Channel 4 Creative Assembly Criterion Games EE King The London Book Fair Mad Dog 2020 Casting Netflix Pinewood PlayStation Sara Putt Associates Searchlight Recruitment Sky Sky Kids TCL Tencent Games Ubisoft WB Games
F i l m Award s P ar t n ers WITH ENDURING THANKS TO ALL THE OFFICIAL PARTNERS TO THE EE BRITISH ACADEMY FILM AWA R DS I N 20 2 1 .
TITLE SPONSOR
OFFICIAL PARTNERS
Official Mineral Water
Official Beauty
Official Car
Official Hair Partner
Official Champagne
Official Mineral Water
Official Scrutineers
Official Wine
73 73
Ac k n ow l e d gem ents
WITH THANKS TO
EE Our title sponsor Marc Samuelson, Anna Higgs and members of the Film Committee Krishnendu Majumdar Chair of the Academy
Film voting juries and members Film companies and distributors for their invaluable assistance Edith Bowman, Dermot O’Leary & Clara Amfo Our hosts All staff at the Academy
Pippa Harris Deputy Chair of the Academy
freuds Prenetics Covid-19 testing
The Savoy
Royal Albert Hall www.royalalberthall.com
West Design Royal Albert Hall arrivals Whizz Kid Television
74
E n d C re d its
AT BAFTA
Executive Director of Awards & Content Emma Baehr Head of Film Deirdre Hopkins Film Officer Imogen Faris Executive Producer Cassandra Hybel Head of Events Amy Wilson Event Producer Ciara Teggart
Awards Team Sam D’Elia Lisa Gault Natalie Gurney Harriet Humphries Lewis Peet Jessica Rogers Kelly Smith
BAFTA Productions Olivia Comer Ella Coveney Georgina Cunningham Daniel Dalton Kylie McCarroll Joe Okell Laura Rees Jamie Rowland
FILM COMMITTEE
Executive Director of Partnerships & Fundraising Louise Robertson
Partnerships Team Natalie Moss Amy Elton Emma Tarcy
Communications Team Nick Williams Fiona Simpson Sophie Dudhill Ashley McKay Emma Wellwood Dana Thompson Ben Smart Molly Diver
Chair Marc Samuelson Deputy Chair Anna Higgs Riz Ahmed Isabel Begg Simon Chinn Noel Clarke Alexandra Derbyshire Nainita Desai Joanna Hartley Asif Kapadia Fiona Lamptey Sharon Martin David Proud Clare Stewart Alison Thompson
Accounts Michelle Diep
75
Bro c h u re Credits
Editor Toby Weidmann Design Russell Seal Ad Sales Amy Elton Ad Support Emma Tarcy Editorial Contributors Jack King Leila Latif Guy Lodge Clarisse Loughrey Neil Smith Amon Warmann Beth Webb Photography Director Claire Rees Photography Coordinator Jordan Anderson Brochure Cover Art Lucy Shephard
Published by British Academy of Film and Television Arts 195 Piccadilly London W1J 9LN Tel: +44 (0)20 7734 0022 reception@bafta.org www.bafta.org All nominees imagery used with the kind permission from the distributors/filmmakers. Rising Star images courtesy of EE, except Kingsley Ben-Adir, by BAFTA/Jamie Simonds
Although every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained in this publication, the Publishers cannot accept liability for errors or omissions. No part of this publication may be reproduced without the written permission of BAFTA. © BAFTA 2021
76
WE’RE THE NO.1 NETWORK FOR 5G
GET EE OR GET NETWORK ENVY NO.1 network FOR 5G: Rankings based on the RootMetrics® UK RootScore® Report: H2 (Jul-Dec) 2020. Tested at locations across the UK with the best commercially available smartphones on 4 national mobile networks across all available network types. Your experiences may vary. The RootMetrics award is not an endorsement of EE. Visit ee.co.uk/claims for more details.
